Black-Eyed Peas And Potato Curry.. (Pressure Cooker Version)

Black-Eyed Peas And Potato Curry.. A wonderful dish to go with Rice, Roti, Bread or it can even make a delicious chat, just topped with some chopped onion, green chilli and coriander leaves and from curry to chat is ready in no time.. This curry has been the most favourite for me, I don't know from when, and I never want to replace this curry with any other dish in my favourite list. When ever I cook this I always cook in a bulk, so that I can eat 2 to 3 times and the next day the taste becomes even more better.. In-front of this curry if you give me chicken, mutton or fish, but I will choose this curry only... Serve with almost anything of your choice it will taste great..

Ingredient's.

1+1/2 cup black-eyed peas (Lubia)

3 potato (cut into chunks) 

2 onion, 3 tomato, 3 green chillies (finely chopped)

2tsp red chilly powder, 1/2tsp turmeric 

1tsp garam masala, 1tsp coriander powder

1tbsp ginger garlic paste

1/2tsp cumin seeds 

Oil and Salt as per taste

Copped coriander leafs for garnishing.

Cooking Method 

Soak the black-eyed peas over night.

In a pressure cooker, add oil, when it is hot add cumin seeds, when they splutter, add onion, and green chillies fry it to golden brown. Then add all the masala powder and ginger garlic paste and fry for 5 to 6 minutes, then add tomato and fry till it starts leaving oil.

Now add soaked black-eyed peas, potato and salt, mix them all together nicely and add 2cups of water, close the lid and cook for 4 to 5 whistle (1 in high flame and rest in low flame).

Garnish with chopped coriander leafs and Serve hot with Rice, Roti or Bread.

Dahi Vada.. (Curd And Lentil Vada With Tangy Tamarind Chutney)

Dahi Vadas are lentil dumplings topped with a spicy savory yogurt and tamarind chutney. These are great as a side dish on any occasion or served as a chat too.. This dahi vada was made by Nupur my friend on Diwali day in a different way and with different ingredients... I use moong dal to make dahi vade but she made it with urad dal, exactly the way we cook medu vada. It was very good and I'm happy to know one more recipe of dahi vada..

To be honest I'm not a great fan of dahi vada, because of that only I use to avoid cooking.. But this time it was totally opposite because of the tamarind chutney, I ate 2 dahi vada with lots of tangy tamarind chutney and chat masala.. It was awesome and I have a plan to cook it again in some time... Thanks to my friend Nupur for a such a yummy dahi vada recipe..

Ingredients For Vadas.

1 cup urad dal

Oil for deep frying.

Ingredient's For Curd.

1 1/2 cup yogurt

3tbsp milk

1tsp salt

1/2tsp roasted cumin powder.

Ingredient's For Tamarind Chutney.

1cup tamarind pulp

2tbsp sugar

3/4 cup jaggery

1/4tsp red chilly powder

1/2tsp roasted cumin powder

Pinch of salt.

Cooking Method For Tamarind Chutney.

In a heavy bottom pan, add all the ingredinets of tamarind chuteny and cook on a low flame, till tamarind pulp becomes semi thick and dark in color.. That will take about 30 minutes. (keep stirring in between to avoid sticking at the bottom) When it is done take out in a bowl and allow it to cool.

Cooking Method For Vada.

Wash urad dal several times until the water appears clear and soak it over night.

Drain the water and blend dal to very creamy texture. Just using enough water as needed to blend. 

Whip dal batter using a spoon in a circular motion for about two to three minutes until batter become light and fluffy. If needed add few spoons of water.

In a deep frying pan add oil and allow oil to become hot on medium flame. To check if oil is ready put a little batter into the oil, oil will sizzle and batter should start expending upwards slowly without changing color.

Then place a plastic sheet on to a flat surface and apply little water, then put 2tbsp batter on to plastic sheet and slowly flatten the vada and make a small hole in a centre. Take the plastic sheet slowly up and leave the vada into hot oil for frying. Fry until they are golden brown and fry the vadas in small batches

After you have made all of the vadas, place the vadas in luke warm water and soak for about 20 minutes.

Next squeeze the vadas gently to take out the water, be careful not to break the vadas.

To make Yogurt topping and Garnish.

In a large mixing bowl take yogurt, milk and mix until very smooth. add salt and cumin powder give a good mix.

Then soak all the vadas in the yogurt for at least twenty minutes, giving the vadas time to absorb the yogurt.

Slowly pick up each vada and transfer into a serving dish, pouring a few spoons of extra yogurt all over the vadas.

Just before serving, sprinkle red chilly powder and chat masala finish off with a drizzle of tamarind chutney.

Meethi Chicken. (Fenugreek Leaves And Chicken Curry)

Meethi Chicken has become now common dish in India, before very few people were aware of this dish. Now there are so many different version to cook this curry, I think every one like to cook in there own way and that becomes one new and different dish... I use to cook this meethi chicken then I stopped from a very long time. Then again I tried this 2 weeks back when we had our friends over and they like it so much, My friend told me why don't I put this recipe on my blog.. To be honest when ever I use to cook, it use to get over and I never got a change to take the pictures, it happened the same when I cooked this curry on that day. But I had in my mind that I should cook this soon and post it or else the day is never going to come.. Keeping that in my mind I cooked this Meethi Chicken curry yesterday and took the pictures also.. ufff so relieved.. This is my own recipe simple and delicious... Serve with Naan, Roti or even Rice...

Ingredient's.

1/2 kg chicken (cut into medium pieces)

1 medium onion (thinly sliced)

1 bunch of meethi leaves (Fenugreek leaves)

1cup chopped coriander

6 green chilis

10 to 15 curry leafs

2tsp black pepper corn

1tbsp ginger garlic paste

1 medium tomato

3tbsp Oil

Salt to taste.

Cooking Method.

Wash and drain the water of chicken and set it aside. Clean and wash the meethi leaves and set it aside.

In a non-stick deep frying pan, add oil and onion, fry the onion for minute or 2. Then add chicken, meethi leaves and salt, mix them and allow the chicken water to evaporate.

In a mean time add all the rest of the ingredients into a mixer jar and make a smooth paste by adding little water.

Now add the grounded masala to chicken, give a good mix and check for the salt. Then close the lid and cook for 10 to 15 minutes on a low flame (keep stirring in between)

Then open the lid and stirfry till all the masala has coated well to chicken and there is no water..

Serve hot with Naan, Kerala Poratha or Roti's.

Cluster Beans And Potato Stirfry (Guwar Aaloo Ki Sabji)

Cluster Beans And Potato Stirfry!! I have seen many people who don't like to eat cluster beans because of it is bitter taste, but some how I really like this beans and I make sure I cook them atleast 2 to 3 times a month. My mom cooks in a many different ways even she adds dry baby prawns in it and it taste awesome. But I cook with simple ingredients and in a very easy way. I'm eagerly looking for dry baby prawns here in market, as soon as I find it cluster beans would be the first dish to cook.. This recipe is specially for those people who don't like to eat cluster beans, just try out this dish once and I'm sure you'll all start liking it...

Ingredient's.

250gm cluster beans (cut into small pieces)

2 medium potato (cut into small pieces)

1/4tsp cumin

1/2tsp red chilly powder, 1/4tsp turmeric

1/2tsp coriander powder, 1/4tsp garam masala

1tsp ginger garlic paste

2tbsp Oil

Salt to taste

Coriander leaves for garnishing.

Cooking Method.

In a non-stick pan, add oil, when oil is hot, add cumin, when they crackle, add all the dry masala powder along with ginger garlic paste and fry for 4 to 5 sec. Then add the cluster beans, potato and salt, given a nice mix and clover the lid and cook for 10 to 15 minutes on low flame.(keep stirring in between)

Then open the lid and increase the flame and stirfry for another 3 to 4 minutes.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Serve hot with Roti or as a Side Dish with Dal and Rice.

Meethi Thepla.. (Indian Flat-Bread With Fenugreek Leaves)

Meethi Thepla is very famouse Gujarati snack bread. It is very flavorful and makes for a great travel or picnic food. You can serve with Pickle or with plain yogurt. Actually I love most of Gujarati snacks like Dhokla, Thepla, Khahkra and the most favourite of mine is Fafda, I simple love this snacks and can munch any time of the day.. I usually prepare thepla very often for the breakfast, because it is very healthy and easy to cook and easy to eat for the people like my hubby, who is always in a hurry..

You can make them in a bulk and store them for 4 to 5 days and they will taste same... There are many different version to cook, but I follow one very simple recipe sometime I do change ingredients but most of the time it is simple. Do try this recipe and serve healthy food to your loved ones..

Ingredient's.

1 cup Whole Wheat flour

1/2 cup Besan (Chickpea flour)

1 cup Methi (Fenugreek) leaves

2-3 tbsp Curd

1 green chilli (finely chopped)

1/4tsp ajwain (carom seeds)

1 tsp Coriander powder, 1/2 tsp Red chili powder, 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

2 tbsp Oil

Salt to taste

Oil/Ghee,to roast theplas.

Cooking Method.

Chop meethi leaves finely and set it aside.

Take a big bowl and add wheat flour and besan along with all the masalas and mix well.

Add oil and curd and rub and mix the flour nicely. Now add methi leaves, with little water and knead till the dough is smooth and soft.

Grease your hands and knead it again until it gets the elastic texture. cover it and leave it for 10-15 mins. 

Make medium size balls of the dough and roll it to a disc of 6'' in diameter by dusting it in between with the dry flour.

Heat a tawa and place the rolled thepla on the tawa and let it cook slightly on one side. Turn it to the other side and apply oil and then turn it again and apply oi and let it roast on both sides till it forms the brown spots.

Prepare all the theplas in the same manner and stack them in a roti basket.

Serve the theplas hot/warm/cold with Pickle and yogurt.